Karen Axelrod’s piano playing combines expressiveness, energy, lyricism, and power. She is equally at home with styles ranging from traditional folk melodies to passionate tangos to old world French musette waltzes to 17th century English Country dance tunes and much more. Her musical home is somewhere between folk, classical and improvisation; her playing is soulful yet touched with humor and whimsy. Karen’s elegant and rich piano playing and her colorful, gorgeous accordion playing are enlivened by her off-beat humor. She plays with a number of bands for dance events as well as concerts including Peregrine Road (with accordion player Rachel Bell), Alchemy (with Rachel Bell and Eric Martin on violin and viola), Foxfire (with New Orleans fiddler Daron Douglas) and 3rd String Trio (with Kate Barnes on guitar and Aldo Fabrizi on mandolin). Karen tours extensively throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe, playing at dances, festivals, concerts, camps, private parties, and other events.

**Karen Axelrod will be on faculty for week 2 of the 2024 Amherst Early Music Festival.